Middle East peace talks to resume in Washington following prisoner release deal

High-level envoys from the Israeli and Palestinian leaders will meet in Washington this week to restart stalled Middle East peace talks, according to the State Department.

The announcement in Washington came shortly after Israel announced plans to release more than 100 Palestinian prisoners, and represents the first direct dialogue since the peace process fell apart in September 2010

Secretary of state John Kerry spoke to both Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli prime minister Netanyahu and asked them to send teams "to formally resume direct final status negotiations".

"Initial meetings are planned for the evening of Monday July 29 and Tuesday July 30, 2013," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement.

Israel will be represented by justice minister Tzipi Livni and negotiator Yitzhak Molcho, and the Palestinians will be represented by chief negotiator Saeb Erakat and by senior official Mohammad Shtayyeh, she said.

The struggle to reach a final peace deal between the Arab world and Israel has moved only fitfully for decades, and talks collapsed completely in 2010 when Israel refused freeze settlement building on Palestinian land.

"As secretary Kerry announced on July 19 in Amman, Jordan, the Israelis and Palestinians had reached agreement on the basis for resuming direct final status negotiations," the US statement said.

"The meetings in Washington will mark the beginning of these talks.

"They will serve as an opportunity to develop a procedural work plan for how the parties can proceed with the negotiations in the coming months."

The initial talks are to begin on Monday evening (local time) in Washington.

Mr Kerry will play host, accompanied by the White House's Middle East pointman Philip Gordon and by State Department adviser Frank Lowenstein.

Mr Kerry has visited the Middle East region six times in the six months since he took office, as Washington renewed its drive to push Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

Next week's talks were expected, but domestic tensions in both camps have kept the talks about talks going to the last possible minute.

Mr Netanyahu's cabinet met again on Sunday as he battled to convince some of the partners in his coalition government to accept the prisoner release and to approve the resumption of talks.

Israeli public radio reported that the 22-member cabinet had only approved the release by a vote of 13 in favour, seven against and two abstentions.

"The government approved the opening of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians... and mandated a ministerial committee for the release of prisoners during the course of the talks," Mr Netanyahu's office said.

The chief Palestinian negotiator welcomed the Israeli vote on prisoners.

"We consider this an important step and hope to be able to seize the opportunity provided by the American administration's efforts."

Ms Livni told her cabinet colleagues that resuming talks with the Palestinians was of vital national interest.

"Today's cabinet decision is one of the most important for the future of Israel," Ms Livni said.

"Starting a (peace) process is in Israel's security and strategic interests."

'Like trying to put out fire with gasoline'

The start of Sunday's Israeli cabinet meeting was delayed for over an hour, amid reports in Israeli media that Mr Netanyahu was battling to win over opponents within his own right-wing Likud party.

While the names of the prisoners have yet to be published or even revealed to ministers, they reportedly include militants convicted of killing Israeli women and children or of killing Palestinians suspected of collaborating with Israel.

"This moment is not easy is for me, not easy for the ministers, and especially not easy for the bereaved families," Mr Netanyahu's office quoted him as telling ministers at the start of the meeting.